Love Along The Way
by jumbled2
Summary: Takashi and Haruhi slowly fall in love with each other, overcoming the obstacles that get in their way. Rating is T, just in case. My first ever FanFic. I plan to update a few days at a time. *TakaxHaru* **Temporary Hiatus on account of Writer's Block**
1. An Eventful Beginning

***Disclaimer: I do not in any way, shape, or form own Ouran High School Host Club. Although, I wish I did. Credits for characters, original plot, etc goes to Bisco Hatori. I can only be credited with the 'changed' plot and OC's that may appear along the way.***

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Chapter 1

Takashi Morinozuka, along with the rest of the Ouran Host Club, watched as a small, strange-looking person stumbled through the doors of Music Room #3.

'Hmm... He looks a little weird.. Maybe even a little cute... NO, TAKASHI! You can't possibly have feelings for a guy! That'd be really awkward. But he does seem to have really wide eyes, kinda like a girl...,' Takashi thought to himself.

Tamaki Suoh and Kyoya Ootori, the President and Vice President of the club, approached the frightened boy and identified him as the new honor student. "Your name's Haruhi Fujioka, right?" Kyoya, the bespectacled man, said. Haruhi looked especially scared at the fact that he knew her name, "H-how did you know my n-name?" Haruhi had a terrible stutter when she was especially nervous. Tamaki, the boy with violet eyes and blond hair, said, "Everyone knows who YOU are. You're the poor scholarship student. You're a hero to all commoners!"

Kyoya sighed disappointingly at his best friend, 'When will this guy ever learn manners?'

"I'm guessing you don't know any of us?" Kyoya asked knowingly. Without waiting for an answer, Kyoya started to introduce the Host Club members, "The idiot beside me is Tamaki Suoh, the President. I am the Host Club's Vice President, Kyoya Ootori. We are both second years. Behind us are the twins, Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin. They're first years like you. The tall man in the back is Takashi Morinozuka, or as we call him, 'Mori-sempai', since he's a third year and our senior. The short one beside him is Mitsukuni Haninozuka, whom, we call 'Honey-sempai', since he is also our third year senior."

'That little blond midget is two years older than me?! I'm even taller than him. He looks like he should be in elementary school!' Haruhi thought. Kyoya seemed to know exactly what she was thinking when he said, "Honey-sempai does seem a little short, but don't consider his height as a disadvantage. He can certainly pack a punch. After all, he and Mori-sempai are national champions in martial arts." Haruhi started to examine all of the Host Club, 'They all seem a little arrogant, except for maybe the third years...'

Tamaki saw Haruhi looking at the members with great interest. Tamaki started to talk dramatically, "Who would've ever known that the honor student... was openly gay?"

Haruhi's eyes widened to massive proportions. "Openly what? I'm not-" "Oh, it's okay, Haruhi. So, which is your type?" Tamaki said in a regal manner. He pointed to himself and asked, "Is it the princely type?" He then pointed at Kyoya and said, "Perhaps it's the cool type.." "The mischievous little devils?" He asked as he glanced at Hikaru and Kaoru. "Maybe it's the boy-Lolita," Tamaki said as he walked over to Honey. "Or might it even be the strong. silent type?" Tamaki said as he pointed to Mori.

Haruhi looked at Mori up and down. Mori's eyes seemed to widen slightly and thought, "Does Tamaki think I'm gay or something?! There's no way that I'm hosting that little guy!"

Haruhi started to think to herself, 'Well, it's kinda obvious that he's tall. He's at least a foot taller than Honey-sempai!' Haruhi's gaze moved to his face. 'He seems kind of...emotionless. Wow! I've never seen anyone with grey eyes before. They're really pretty. But, they seem emotionless and empty, like the rest of his face. But, they're still really nice.'

Haruhi's thoughts came to a sudden halt when Tamaki yelled, "I know who you like Haruhi! You like Mori-sempai, don't you?" Both Haruhi's and Mori's eyes widened. "Don't doubt it, Haruhi! I saw the way you were looking at him..," Tamaki said with a wide grin. "I-I don't have a crush on M-Mori-sempai!" "Of course, you do!" Tamaki practically shrieked. "You can't deny your feelings for long, Haruhi!"

The twins, Hikaru and Kaoru, started to act the same as the President of the Host Club. "You like Mori-sempai? Aww... They'd look so cute together!"

Haruhi's cheeks turned a bright shade of red. 'Oh, crap... They have me completely figured out,' Haruhi thought. Hikaru added, "Look at Haruhi blushing... He looks so adorable!" "But, Hikaru.." Kaoru's eyes started to water. "You shouldn't look at Haruhi. The only person you should be looking at is me." Hikaru's eyes started to water as well and replied, "I'm so sorry, Kaoru. I didn't mean to make you sad. But, it'd be impossible for me to look at anyone the same way I look at you." The twins embraced gently in a very feminine way.

'Are they gay AND incestuous?', Haruhi thought, looking confused.

Kyoya appeared right behind Haruhi's shoulder out of nowhere and said, "They might be incestuous. But it would be an overall benefit to the club if they were. More profit, you know." 'Can this guy read my mind?!' Haruhi thought. "Don't worry, Haruhi. I'm not reading your mind." Haruhi raised an eyebrow, quizzically. Kyoya smirked, realizing something. 'I'm not going to reveal this crucial piece of information to the club yet. Let me have my fun watching them figure it out.'

Honey stared at the tall companion beside him. "Feeling a little awkward, huh?" Honey said in a very childish voice. Mori nodded slightly, looking down at the boy beside him (well, technically "man", but he IS unbelievably short). "Don't worry, Takashi. I would too if Tama-chan said that...," Honey said in the same childish voice (A/N: "Tama-chan" is Tamaki, in case you didn't know. Honey is the only one in the Host Club who abbreviates everyone's name, except for Mori, whom he calls "Takashi", as that is his first name.)

Honey ran up to Haruhi and yelled, "HARU-CHAN! Do you want to share some cake with me?" "Um... No, thank you. AND WHO ARE YOU CALLING 'HARU-CHAN'?!" Haruhi said/screamed to Honey. Honey's eyes started to well up with tears. "Then do you want to play with Usa-chan with me?" (A/N: 'Usa-chan' is Honey's stuffed rabbit) Haruhi politely refused, not wanting to upset her senior. "Please? Pretty please?" Honey asked in his most childish voice, as he waved Usa-chan in her face. "Well... Okay. Usa-chan is pretty cute," Haruhi replied with a wide, sincere smile.

Honey momentarily looked at Haruhi with confusion, and then looked at him with sudden realization. "Is something wrong, Honey-sempai?" Haruhi asked with concern. "Uh.. No, Haru-chan. Everything's fine!" Honey said with his normal childish voice back. "We can play with Usa-chan later, okay?" Honey said with his signature Host Club smile.

'Mitsukuni, what happened?' Mori asked with his eyes (A/N: Mori also calls Honey by his first name, "Mitsukuni"). Mori and Haruhi were the only ones to notice Honey's changes in expression. Honey responded to his cousin (also with his eyes), 'I'll tell you later, Takashi.'

Tamaki and the twins kept pestering Haruhi about her crush on Mori. "You have a crush on Mori-sempai!" They kept yelling. Haruhi continually retaliated, "No, I don't!" As Haruhi kept yelling, her blush kept turning redder. This continued until clumsy Haruhi bumped into a vase, knocking it down onto the marble floor (I'm just going to assume that it's marble, since Ouran is an INSANELY rich school). The vase shattered into a million pieces as Haruhi let out a loud gasp, as she tried to grab it.

Everyone's eyes (excluding Kyoya and Mori) stared at the remnants of the expensive vase.

The twins simultaneously said to Haruhi, "Aww, man...We were going to feature that in the upcoming auction. The bidding was going to start at 8 million yen." "EIGHT MILLION YEN?!" Haruhi almost fainted after she yelled (A/N: 8 million yen is over $100,000 or over £63,000). Haruhi started to stutter again. "I c-c-can pay you ba-back," Haruhi said quietly. The twins laughed harshly, "Ha! With what money? You can't even afford a uniform!"

The Host Club never thought to actually examine Haruhi's appearance. She had a prickly, over-sized sweater and long, black dress pants. She had very thick glasses, probably passed down. They could tell she had trouble seeing through them, as they probably weren't the right prescription.

"Well, the uniform costs 300,000 yen!" Haruhi retaliated (A/N: 300,000 yen is more than $3,700 or more than £2,300). The twins replied, "That's the point, Haruhi. If you can't afford a 300,000 yen uniform, how would you ever be able to pay back 8 million yen, for a broken vase?"

Haruhi sighed and said, "I guess you have a valid point, guys... So what are you guys gonna do about the vase?"

"We actually don't have a clue. Kyoya-sempai?" The twins said simultaneously. Kyoya looked up from his laptop, "Why are you asking me? Ask your humble President."

The twins sighed and asked, "Boss? What are we gonna do about Haruhi?" (A/N: The twins are referring to Tamaki as 'Boss', since he is the leader of the illustrious Host Club.) Tamaki, being his overly dramatic self, exclaimed, "Well, Haruhi. You know what they say. 'When in Rome, do as the Romans do.' Since you are financially unable to repay your debt to the Host Club, you will pay back with physical labor! From this point on, you are the Host Club's dog."

***This may seem very similar to the anime/manga, but it will change a lot in the coming chapters.***


	2. A Not-So Mere Coincidence

***Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club. I can only receive credit for the OC's and changed plot.***

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Chapter 2

Haruhi actually fainted this time and almost landed on the ground, but Mori lunged forward to catch Haruhi in his tan, muscular arms. He picked her up, placing her carefully on a sofa. Just as he was about to get up, he realized that Haruhi gripped onto his blazer, as she was falling. (I don't know how that happened, but it did.) Not wanting to wake her up, Mori stayed by her side. Before long, Mori drifted off to sleep placing his head next to Haruhi's, leaving enough space between the two heads (must be a REALLY big sofa).

Not wanting Haruhi's glasses to break, Hikaru and Kaoru took the glasses off of her small face, with great caution. After doing so, they too had almost fainted. "Boss...," they whispered. "What is it?" Tamaki asked quietly, not wanting to wake Haruhi and Mori. Before the twins could answer, Tamaki had very wide eyes and was looking straight at Haruhi. "Oh, my...," Tamaki said almost inaudibly.

"Honey-sempai! Is Mori-sempai a heavy sleeper?" Tamaki asked quietly. Honey looked confused for a second, but decided to answer anyways. "Sometimes, it depends on how comfortable he is," Honey said whilst walking towards the sofa. Honey had to contain a giggle after looking at Haruhi without glasses, "Aww... Haru-chan looks so adorable! Takashi looks pretty comfortable, Tama-chan."

"Okay... We have to do this quickly. Kyoya, call my hair stylist. Hikaru, Kaoru, get a spare uniform for Haruhi. Honey-sempai, can you get Mori-sempai's extra contacts?" Tamaki said/asked affirmatively. "Tama-chan, I'm pretty sure the contacts are just meant for Takashi." Tamaki looked at Honey with gleaming eyes, "Please, Honey-sempai? What if they work for Haruhi, too? I'm sure Mori-sempai won't mind." Honey sighed and said (childishly), "Okay, I'll get his contact lenses." Tamaki gulped and said, "And I will try to get Haruhi away from Mori-sempai before they wake up. That'll be the hard part. I don't want Haruhi to scream or Mori-sempai to hurt me."

Fortunately, they all completed their respective tasks with great ease, except for Tamaki, who had almost woken up Mori, and would've probably died if he had woken him up. Thankfully, Tamaki did not die, so he sat Haruhi down in a chair. The Host Club (minus Mori) started to wake Haruhi, shaking her softly, so as not to wake her up too fast and have her scream.

A gentle nudge from Kaoru made Haruhi barely open her eyes. Another nudge from Hikaru had her eyes open all the way. Honey lightly covered his hand over Haruhi's lips. "Shh, Haru-chan... Don't scream... It's just us."

Thanks to Honey's warning, Haruhi had not screamed. When Honey decided that Haruhi was not going to make any rash decisions, he lifted his hand from Haruhi's mouth. "What are you guys doing?" Haruhi asked (surprisingly) calmly.

Before anyone answered her, the twins dragged Haruhi to the dressing room. "I'm not going to change in front of you two, get out!" Haruhi screamed as se flung Hikaru and Kaoru out of the dressing room. Kaoru looked at Hikaru, and Hikaru looked back at Kaoru. "Did that just happen?" they asked each other.

They went to talk to Honey about the incident, while Tamaki's hairstylist crept into the dressing room and started to fix Haruhi's hair, despite Haruhi's refusal.

Haruhi was shoved out of the dressing room and into the sights of the Host Club (still minus Mori). They all shared appreciative glances toward one another. "We have done an excellent job today, men. Haruhi Fujioka now looks respectable," Tamaki said with pride. Kyoya asked, "How about this, Haruhi? Instead of being our personal servant, you can be a host and earn us the money that way." Tamaki's face glittered with glee, "Oh, that's a great idea, Kyoya!" "I don't think so... There's no **WAY** that I'm becoming a part of the Host Club," Haruhi protested.

"You don't really have a choice, Haruhi," Kyoya said. "Would you rather be our servant until you graduate?" Hikaru asked. "Or be a host until you pay us back?" Kaoru finished. Haruhi sighed with annoyance. "What do I have to do?" Haruhi asked. "All you have to do is get 100 girls to request you." Tamaki said. "Is that really it? That sounds easy enough," Haruhi said laughing. "It's not as easy as it sounds, Haruhi. 100 girls is a lot," Honey said, dropping the -chan. 'Wow, is that what Honey-sempai does when he's serious? He sounds scary," Haruhi thought.

Honey reverted back to his childish voice, "But if you're sure, Haru-chan, I'm sure you can do it in no time! Ooh... It's time for my afternoon nap!" 'He's seventeen and he still takes naps? He REALLY must take this "boy-Lolita" thing seriously.' Honey curled up in a chair and was fast asleep, hugging Usa-chan tightly.

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***This chapter is pretty short, compared to the first chapter. Sorry! It may seem bland now, but I promise that it gets increasingly interesting in the following chapters.***


	3. Hypotension (Part 1)

***Disclaimer: I do not Ouran High School Host Club, and I don't ever plan too.***

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Chapter 3

"So, who's going to wake Mori-sempai up?" Haruhi asked. Tamaki immediately replied, "Not me!", remembering the previous incident, in which he almost was killed. The twins sharply talked to Tamaki, "Boss, not too loud. You'll wake Honey-sempai!" "Oops..." Haruhi whispered to Kyoya, "Why don't they wanna wake Honey-sempai? Wouldn't he be the best person to wake Mori-sempai up?"

"Trust me when I say this, Haruhi. **No one **wants to be the one who wakes Honey-sempai up," Kyoya said.

"Why not?" Haruhi thought aloud. "I'll tell you why not. Honey-sempai has type AB blood," Tamaki said quietly. "What does that have to do with anything?" Haruhi asked. The twins replied, "Having type AB blood means that you have a split personality. Honey-sempai and Kyoya-sempai both have it." "They're both very irritable when they wake up," Tamaki said.

"No, they're worse than irritable. They basically turn into cold, sadistic monsters," the twins said. "Isn't Kyoya-sempai always like that?" Haruhi asked. "I hope you don't think I didn't hear that. You wouldn't want me to add anything to your debt, do you? And anyways, I'm not that bad in the morning," Kyoya said, rolling his eyes.

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Flashback (three months ago, Saturday, 6am)

Tamaki, Hikaru, and Kaoru were heading to Honey's house, early in the morning. When they knocked on the estate door, a maid opened the door on the second knock. "Is Honey-sempai awake?" Kaoru asked. The maid shrank back into her small shoes, "You're not going to wake Haninozuka-san up, are you? If you are, I suggest you fetch Morinozuka-san first. He wakes him up best." "Thank you, miss," Tamaki said, kissing her hand gently as they walked away. The maid's cheeks turned a fine shade of red before closing the door.

"Why do you think we'll need Mori-sempai to wake Honey-sempai?" Hikaru asked. "No clue whatsoever, but we should trust her. After all, it's his maid," Tamaki said. Once they arrived at the Morinozuka estate,(which was conveniently next door to the Haninozuka estate), Kaoru knocked on the door. Almost immediately, the door opened to a grand entrance room. Tamaki looked for a maid nearby to find the whereabouts for Mori.

Soon enough, they found Mori's mother, Natsuko, and ran into her. "Oh, Morinozuka-san, we are so sorry. We do hope you'll forgive us," the three boys said as they slightly bowed. "Oh, no worries. I'm assuming you're looking for Takashi?", she asked.

At that moment, Mori walked down the large staircase, with his hair very wet. 'He probably just care out of the shower,' Tamaki thought. "Good morning, Takashi. I hope you slept well," Natsuko said sweetly. "Morning, mother," Mori said in a monotonous voice.

'Well, I think it's safe to say he doesn't get his attitude from his mother,' Kaoru thought. Hikaru interrupted the momentary silence, "Mori-sempai, the maid at Honey-sempai's house said that you'd be the best to wake him up." "Hn," Mori simply replied. "Bye, boys!" Natsuko merrily yelled after them.

The four men walked to Honey's house. Mori didn't care to knock on the door and just walked into the house and upstairs into Honey's room. The three idiots (Tamaki, Hikaru, and Kaoru) closely followed behind Mori and were halted when Mori said, "Stay out here."

Mori closed the door behind him and started to wake Honey. Honey tossed and turned in his bed as Mori shook him. "Mitsukuni, wake up. Host Club today," was all Mori said. Honey, fully awake now, glared at him with his then sweet caramel eyes, now filled with pure venom. "Mitsukuni, shower. Now." "No, Takashi. I am not getting into the shower. I'm going back to sleep. Do not wake me, or there will be severe consequences."

Mori ignored Honey's threats and picked him up, placing him on Mori's shoulder. "Takashi, let go of me NOW!" Honey screamed while repeatedly kicking him in the stomach. Mori tried not to flinch at every kick, as Honey was very strong.

He placed him inside the bathroom and said to his cousin, "Shower, or no cake." Honey narrowed his eyes and growled at Mori, getting into a fierce fighting stance. Mori got into a similar stance, and repeated, "Shower, or no cake." Honey stood up straight and slammed the door in Mori's face.

Mori exited his room, closed the door, and turned to face the three idiots. "Breakfast?" he asked, seeming to forget the occurrence in the room behind him. "We'll eat together with Kyoya-sempai," Hikaru said warily. 'Does he think we didn't hear all that?', Kaoru thought. A glance from Mori told him "no". 'I guess he just wanted to forget that...'

Once Honey exited the shower, he seemed to be his regular old self once again. 'Is he trying to forget what happened, too?' Kaoru thought. It hadn't seemed like it. 'Is Honey-sempai really that oblivious? Does he even remember what happened?!'

The five Host Club members climbed into the Hitachiin's limousine. Tamaki shouted, "To the Ootori mansion!" The driver sped off towards the direction of Kyoya's house. Tamaki thought to himself, 'I hope Kyoya isn't as bitter this morning as he was last time I woke him up.'

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Flashback Within a Flashback (five months before current flashback, Saturday, 11am)

Tamaki knocked loudly at the door of the Ootori mansion. A maid taller than Tamaki opened the door and let him in. Tamaki marched up the long staircase and opened Kyoya's door. "Kyoya, time to wake up," Tamaki sang.

"Get out of my room, you moron!" Kyoya screamed. Tamaki didn't heed his warning and walked up to Kyoya, shaking him. "Kyoya! Wake up!" Tamaki screamed into his ear. "Didn't you hear me, you idiot? Get out of my face before I murder you!" Kyoya yelled, grabbing Tamaki by his shirt collar.

Tamaki's eyesight became very blurry as real tears rolled down his face. "Okay, Kyoya. I will wait in the foyer when you decide to wake up."

*Flashback Within a Flashback ends*

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**I graciously thank those of you who ACTUALLY read this. Though, I do hope that more of you do... But, I'm still very thankful. :)**


	4. Hypotension (Part 2)

***Disclaimer: Since I'm not Bisco Hatori, I have never owned Ouran High School Host Club. Life would be pretty nice if I was though.***

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Chapter 4

Current Flashback Resumes

During the ride to Kyoya's, Kaoru started to question Honey, "Honey-sempai? What happened back there?" Honey looked deeply confused. "I don't really understand, Kao-chan," Honey said. "You know... You acting like a dark Honey-sempai...," Hikaru added. Mori shook his head violently as Honey replied, "I'm not following, Hika-chan." 'I guess Mori-sempai REALLY doesn't want us to ask Honey-sempai about that,' Hikaru mused silently. 'We'll ask Mori-sempai about that later...," Kaoru thought.

"Hika-chan? Kao-chan? Are you okay?" Honey asked after noticing their silence. Kaoru was quick to answer. "Nope. Nothing's wrong, sempai." The twins added two great grins to make the lie seem sincere.

To Kaoru and Hikaru, Honey seemed to accept what they said with no hesitation. Only Mori saw the hidden expression on Honey's face. Honey thought, 'I wonder what they were talking about. I'll pry it out of them soon.'

Once they arrived at the mansion, Tamaki raised his hand to knock on the grand estate door, but quickly put his hand back at his side. Kaoru raised an eyebrow as Hikaru knocked on the door with great elegance.

The door opened almost instantly to a very quiet house. Tamaki looked behind the door to see who opened it, but no one was in sight. Tamaki and the twins unconsciously gulped loudly. 'Who opened the door?!' the three boys thought.

Mori pulled Hikaru and Kaoru back near the entrance while Tamaki and Honey went to find a maid. "Mori-sempai...," Hikaru started. "What was the deal...," Kaoru added. "With Honey-sempai?" they asked simultaneously.

"For as long as I can remember, Mitsukuni's always been like this. Always grumpy in the morning." 'Well, that's the understatement of the year,' Hikaru thought. Mori continued, "After he freshens up in the morning, he reverts back to his normal self. It's as if he doesn't remember a thing...," Hikaru's and Kaoru's mouths were wide open. They were surprised by the fact that Mori had said more than two words in one breath, maybe in a day.

Mori snapped them out of their thoughts when he closed their mouths with his strong hands. The twins yelped at the immense pain. "Don't leave your mouths open like that. You'll catch flies," Mori said firmly.

The three hosts headed upstairs where Honey and Tamaki were standing terrified in front of Kyoya's room. Well, only Tamaki was terrified, as Honey was telling him to go into the room with him. "Tama-chan! What's the matter? Let's go!" Tamaki shivered at the thought of going in and said, "No thanks, Honey-sempai. I'd **much** rather stay out here." Honey dragged him into Kyoya's room, ignoring Tamaki's shrieks. The rest of the hosts casually followed them into the large, but dark room.

Mori walked up to Kyoya's bed and started to wake him gently, in the same manner as he would've woken Honey up. Kyoya's eyes were closed, but he muttered, "I swear to God, Tamaki. I went to sleep two hours ago. If you don't get out of here in five seconds, I will-" Kyoya was halted by a deep, yet comforting voice. "Kyoya," Mori mumbled. Kyoya's eyes flashed open. "Oh, Mori-sempai. It's you." Kyoya glared at Tamaki with eyes that said, 'Get out'. Tamaki fled the room faster than the speed of light. Kyoya looked back at Mori with pleasant eyes. "Good morning, sempai," Kyoya said. "Hn," Mori replied.

Honey ushered Kyoya out of bed and into the bathroom, while screaming, "Rise and shine, Kyo-chan!" The five men strolled down the grand staircase and into the dining room.

They were greeted by Kyoya's parents, Katsuo and Miyuki Ootori. Kyoya's father, Katsuo, seemed very reserved and clever, much like his son. Miyuki, Kyoya's mother was bright and merry, like Natsuko Morinozuka, Mori's mother. Miyuki was short, she was only a few inches taller that Honey. On the other hand, Katsuo was very tall, almost reaching Mori in height.

"Good morning!" Miyuki said happily. "It is indeed a very good morning, Ootori-san," Tamaki said gracefully, forgetting about the incident in Kyoya's room. Miyuki broadly smiled at Tamaki. 'I don't see how my son can tolerate him at all,' Katsuo thought silently.

"Come. Sit down with us," Miyuki said sweetly, gesturing with her hand towards the table. "I'm sorry, Ootori-san. But we must get going as soon as Kyoya-sempai gets out of the shower. We're in quite a hurry," Kaoru said, not wanting to hurt the woman's feelings. Miyuki did not seem hurt at all. "Well, come back to eat soon!" Miyuki said as she escorted them to the foyer. Kyoya grumpily trudged down the stairs. "Let's go, Tamaki," he said, grabbing Tamaki by the ear, as he exited the door.

Flashback Ends

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**I am having a BLAST writing this. I don't care if you don't like this, at least I do.**

**Okay, I lied. I do care. **


	5. A Budding Romance

***Disclaimer: Do I really need to keep writing this after 4 chapters? Anyways, I don't own Ouran High School Host Club.**

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Chapter 5

*Meanwhile, back in Music Room #3, where four of the members are in a trance.* (Honey's already awake by now.)

"Hello? Can they hear me?" Haruhi asked to Kyoya. "I'm not sure. If I'm not mistaken, they're all reminiscing about some event," Kyoya said, looking up from his laptop. "I guess I'll have to wake Mori-sempai," Haruhi said, walking to the sofa.

"Mori-sempai? Wake up," Haruhi said gently, while poking him. Mori stirred in his sleep, grabbing Haruhi by the waist and pulling her closer to him, all while smiling. "Uh... Mori-sempai! What are you doing?" Haruhi asked while blushing furiously. Mori's eyes slightly opened. "Haruhi, call me 'Takashi'...," Mori mumbled. Haruhi's eyes widened at two things: the fact that Mori spoke and the fact that he wanted Haruhi to drop the honorific.

(A/N: From this point on, I will refer to Mori as 'Takashi'.)

"Mori-sempai? Are you okay?" Haruhi asked with concern in her eyes. 'Is this Mori-sempai's way of flirting?' Haruhi thought in her head. "I thought I said to call me Takashi," Takashi said smiling widely. "Umm.. Takashi? Is there something wrong?" Takashi sighed in content. He pulled Haruhi even closer to his body and brought her down to whisper something in her ear. "I like it when you call me by my name," Takashi whispered flirtatiously in Haruhi's ear. Haruhi blushed even harder. Haruhi tried to lift Takashi, so he could freshen up. Her efforts were to no avail. She was too weak to pick up someone as strong as Takashi.

Haruhi sat speechlessly beside Takashi. 'Did that really just happen? Did he really just say that to me?' Haruhi thought silently. She noticed that he was still holding onto her. Before she realized it, Haruhi was smiling broadly at her senior. "What are you smiling at, Haruhi?" Takashi asked with a grin. "Nothing, Takashi," Haruhi said, unconsciously stroking his soft, black hair. Takashi once again sighed in content. Haruhi realized what she was doing and blushed. She continued to run her fingers through his hair. She liked the feeling. A lot.

Haruhi and Takashi remained in that position for a while until the rest of the Host Club came to their senses and realized what was going on between the two. Honey, Tamaki Hikaru, and Kaoru all stared in awe at how affectionately Haruhi and Takashi were being. There was a long, but comfortable silence in Music Room #3, all that could be heard was the clacking of the keys on Kyoya's laptop. But even that came to a stop when he happened to gaze at the sofa. 'Huh? When did that happen? Oh, well. Maybe this will lead to more profits...,' Kyoya thought with a smirk.

Soon enough, Haruhi broke out of her trance and noticed the whole Host Club staring at her intently. "What are you guys doing?" Haruhi asked bluntly. Honey slowly approached Haruhi, so as to not disturb the perfect moment anymore. "Haru-chan. Takashi's been flirting with you, hasn't he?" Honey asked gently. "Yeah. Yeah, he has," Haruhi replied fondly. "He's usually not himself when he's sleepy. He always has his guard up when he's conscious," Honey whispered into Haruhi's ear. "Oh. Well, that explains a lot. He's never talked to me before and he's already flirting with me," Haruhi said, not taking her eyes off of Takashi.

"Well, I guess Takashi should be getting up now, huh?" Haruhi asked. Everyone's eyes (except Honey) immediately got wider when they heard Haruhi calling the senior by his given name. "Ahh... So Takashi got you to call him by his name, huh?" Honey asked with a mischievous grin on his face. Haruhi nodded and smiled.

With the help of Honey, Haruhi got Takashi up. Once he was freshened up, it was time to leave. Kyoya announced, "Tomorrow, we will resume regular Host Club hours. That means you too, Haruhi." "Okay, sempai," Haruhi shouted back. Haruhi approached Takashi. "Mori-sempai, are you feeling better?" "Yes, I am. I thought I told you to call me 'Takashi'." He said with a small smile. Haruhi blushed, and Takashi blushed at the sight of Haruhi blushing. They exited Music Room #3 in a comfortable silence, side by side.

(By this time, Takashi, Honey, Kyoya, Hikaru, and Kaoru all know that Haruhi's a girl.)

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**Sorry! This is super short... But, you gotta admit... Takashi can be so flirtacious when he's sleepy, can't he? *swoons* **


	6. The Beginnings of Love

***Disclaimer: I don't own Ouran. Period.***

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Chapter 6

Takashi decided to walk Haruhi home, since it was a beautiful day. Haruhi wasn't paying attention to where she was walking because she was busy looking at the scenery. She tripped over a rock and (once again) fell into Takashi's arms. "Haruhi, are you all right?" "Huh? Yeah.. I'm fine," Haruhi said. Takashi turned her around to face him and looked straight into her eyes with a soul-searching gaze. "I guess I was just thinking about school, my father, and some other things." "Tell me about your family, Haruhi," Takashi said softly while starting to walk again, with his arm around Haruhi's waist. Haruhi's expression became sad almost instantly, at the sound of 'family'.

"My mother died when I was five years old. Ever since then, it's just been me and my dad. He works all the time, so he can take care us the two of us. And when he's not at work, he's always tired. So, I do the cooking and cleaning around the house. Luckily, before my mother died, I watched her cook in the kitchen. So, I guess I picked up some things from her. And she had some recipes. It was a little hard at first, with me burning a lot of the food. My dad never complained about how bad it probably tasted," Haruhi said before chuckling softly. "I guess he didn't want to hurt my feelings. Eventually, I got used to my mother not being around. Although, sometimes I see my dad sulking around the house, thinking about her. There are even times where I forget what my mother even looked like. But, I guess I have to admit that I miss her. A whole lot," Haruhi finished.

Haruhi could tell Takashi was trying not to reveal his feelings, but she could see all of the emotions in his grey eyes. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry," Takashi said apologetically, bowing his head. Haruhi did her best to lift his chin, barely doing so. "It's okay, Takashi. You didn't know. It's not your fault," Haruhi said sadly.

By the time they finished their conversation, they arrived at Haruhi's apartment building. "This is where I live. See the one right there?" Haruhi asked, pointing to her apartment. "That's where Dad and I live." They walked up the stairs to her door. Takashi was about to go back down the stairs when Haruhi grabbed his arm and asked, "You're not coming in for tea?" "No, it's okay," Takashi said. "Well, that's too bad. Because you're coming for tea," Haruhi said while dragging Takashi into her home.

"Hi, Haruhi! How was-" Haruhi's dad, Ranka, said. He looked up at Takashi in pure surprise. "Haruhi... Who's the tall guy?" Ranka asked squealing. Haruhi replied, rolling her eyes at her father. "Dad, calm down. This is Takashi from school," Haruhi said, slightly blushing when she said Takashi's name.

"I'm assuming he's in the same class as you?" Ranka asked with a big smile. "No, he's a third year," Haruhi said. 'Hmm? Haruhi calls a third year by his first name? I'm sensing the beginnings of love here,' Ranka thought with a grin stretching across his face. "I met him in the Host Club," Haruhi said. "Host Club?" Ranka asked with a curious expression. Haruhi told him of the whole story of how she broke the invaluable vase and was indebted to the Host Club.

Meanwhile, Takashi was surprised, though he didn't show it. 'I didn't know Haruhi's father was a transvestite. She could have at least warned me," Takashi thought. He began to follow Haruhi's story, making small comments along the way.

After the story, Haruhi went to make the tea for the three of them. "Haruhi, sweetie! Don't make any for me, please. I have to go to work now," Ranka said. "Oh, right. I forgot," Haruhi replied. "Well, Takashi can stay here with you overnight. If that's okay with you, Takashi?" 'Wait.. What? He wants me to stay over with Haruhi tonight? Alone?' Takashi thought. Ranka took his lack of a reply as an acceptance. "Okay, I'll be going now. Take care now! And no funny business!" Ranka said, while exiting the apartment.

Takashi turned to look at Haruhi. She blushed and looked away. She yelled from the kitchen, "You want tea, right?" "Yes," Takashi said. He casually walked over to the kitchen to try to help Haruhi. As soon as he walked in, Haruhi stood on her tip-toes while reaching for cups and lost her balance. Takashi glided towards her falling figure and scooped her up in his arms. He looked down to the petite girl in his arms. "You seriously need to stop falling," Takashi said jokingly. Haruhi chuckled. "I'm a bit of a klutz."

Takashi still had Haruhi in his arms for a few more minutes, enjoying each other's warmth. Haruhi gazed into Takashi's mysterious grey eyes, and Takashi did the same to Haruhi's warm brown eyes.

Takashi's phone started vibrating and ringing from his pocket. Takashi put Haruhi down, rather awkwardly, and answered his phone. "Hello? Yes, Mother? I'm at a friend's house. Yes, Mitsukuni knows that I'm here. I'm staying overnight. Yes, Mother. I'll be back in the morning. Okay, goodbye," Takashi said before flipping his phone shut.

"My mother called," Takashi said to Haruhi. "Yeah, I figured as much," Haruhi said, with a smile. "The tea's ready. Sit down. I'll bring it over," Haruhi said, while walking to the kitchen. Takashi sat down at the table near the kitchen. Almost instantly, Haurhi erupted from the kitchen and set the plate on the table in front of Takashi. Haruhi unconsciously sat down in the chair directly beside Takashi.

Haruhi started to sip her tea nonchalantly. She stole a glimpse from Takashi. He was looking right at her, with his cup of tea untouched. "Takashi, is something wrong?" Haruhi asked, looking at Takashi intently. "Uhh, no. Everything's fine," Takashi said, trying to hide the creeping blush on his face. "Well, you better hurry up and drink your tea. It'll get cold soon," Haruhi said, turining back to her own cup. "Right, of course," Takashi said. He took a small sip of his tea.

'Why did Takashi blush when I caught him looking at me? Hmm. Only time will tell,' Haruhi thought. 'I can;t believe Haruhi caught me looking at her. God, I'm such an idiot. Why'd I even do that? I'm so stupid,' Takashi yelled at himself silently.

They sat drinking the rest of their tea silently in their own thoughts. Soon, they had both finished their cups of tea. Haruhi attempted to take Takashi's empty cup from him, but Takashi inched the cup away from her grasp. "No, allow me," Takashi said as he took Haruhi's cup. He walked into the kitchen area so that he could wash the cups. 'I never let anyone wash the dishes other than me. What's with the sudden change of mind, Haruhi?' Haruhi asked herself in silence. Haruhi strolled to her school bag and opened it. She took out the assignments that she needed to complete and headed to her desk in the living room.

When Takashi finished washing the dishes, he took long strides over to Haruhi. He crouched down by her ear as whispered in her ear. "Need help?" Haruhi was startled by Takashi's sudden appearance. "Oh, my god. It's you, Takashi. God, you scared the crap out of me!" Haruhi said as she playfully slapped Takashi's upper arm. She turned back to her schoolwork and said, "No, I don't need any help at the moment. But I'll call you if I ever do need anything, okay?" "Hn," Takashi simply replied.

'Was Haruhi flirting with me? That's what girls do all the time when they like someone, right? They slap when they flirt, right? Why don't I know this? I'm a host! Hosts are supposed to know these kinds of things,' Takashi thought frantically.

"Takashi, you're okay, right?" Haruhi asked, looking back at her senior. He didn't do anything but stare into her gleaming brown eyes. Haruhi stood up and reached up to put her small hand on Takashi's face. "Hey, what's wrong?" Haruhi asked, smiling softly. The ends of Takashi's mouth began to curl upwards. He let out a soft chuckle. "Nothing's wrong, Haruhi. Nothing at all," he said.

Haruhi giggled at his slight smile. They had just met hours ago and already, she had made him smile more times in a few hours than he had ever smiled in the last ten years. Her small gestures made him want to smile and laugh along with her.

Haruhi and Takashi stood in front of the desk for a few more minutes until Haruhi realized how long they had had been standing there. "Oh, wow! I should probably get back to my work. I'l never get it done at this pace! You should start your work too," Haruhi said. "I finished before my classes ended," Takashi replied. "Wow, you work fast," Haruhi said, staring at her work. "Yup," Takashi said. "Okay, now I'm done," Haruhi said, standing up. "And I'm the one who works fast?" Takashi asked, with a huge smile plastered on his usually nonchalant face. Haruhi laughed out loud at her senior's sense of humor.

Haruhi looked out her window and noticed the darkening sky. "Oh, it's getting dark. Want dinner?" Haruhi asked. "Only if I get to help," Takashi said with the same smile. Haruhi tried to stifle a giggle, but failed. "Fine. You can help," Haruhi said, grabbing Takashi's hand and leading him into the kitchen.

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**:) This was one of my longest chapters... Took quite a while to write. :)**


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